County responds to critics: 'Not the mansion everyone is trying to say it is'

Nov. 15, 2013

Greene County Presiding Commissioner Jim Viebrock says the county bought a 37-acre property that includes this 6,700 square-foot house for $2 million in 2009. The house is vacant. / Valerie Mosley/News-Leader

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Greene County says it plans to eventually sell this property near Rivercut to the Springfield-Greene County Parks system, keeping a road right of way it said had been the reason for the purchase in 2009. / Valerie Mosley/News-Leader

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County officials are defending themselves in light of public outcry over a past decision to buy a piece of land with a large house on it.

The property at 1955 W. Farm Road 186 near Rivercut was purchased in 2009 as part of two road expansion plans: one at Cox Road and another at Kansas Expressway.

Presiding Commissioner Jim Viebrock said the entire property was bought for about $2 million out of Road and Bridge funding.

The county needed some of the land, Viebrock said, for the road expansions, but the owner of the property didn’t want to give right of way to the county.

The former owner, Robert Davis, would only sell the entire 37-acre property — with the 6,700 square-foot house. Viebrock said the decision was made to buy the whole property to avoid backlash from using eminent domain.

“It’s not the mansion everyone is trying to say it is,” Viebrock said.

He and County Administrator Tim Smith also emphasized that the purchase wasn’t any kind of sweet deal for Davis or anyone else.

In the years since the property was purchased, the county has been maintaining it to deter vandalism, Viebrock said. That included an average $200 per month utility bill that also was paid out of Road and Bridge funding. The house is vacant.

The Road and Bridge fund is a separate tax that funds road maintenance, bridge repair and other transportation projects. It cannot be used for general fund needs.

For that reason, Viebrock stressed, selling the house tomorrow would not remedy any of the county’s budget troubles.

Smith said the county does plan to sign a final deal in coming weeks to eventually sell the property to the Springfield-Greene County Parks system. That deal has been in the works for years, Smith and Viebrock said.

“We probably would have already sold it if the parks had not expressed an interest,” Viebrock said.

The county will, however, keep the right of way portion.

The public information administrator for the parks system, Jenny Fillmer Edwards said, “We are in the process of finalizing a long-term use agreement for that property with an intent to purchase.” She believes it’s a 10-year agreement. She added the parks system right now does “not have a funding stream available to purchase that property.”

Parks programs will be offered on the property when the use agreement is final, she said, adding that parks workers have already taken over maintenance to show good faith toward the “use agreement.”

Viebrock insisted that the county has already sold all other property it could reasonably sell — mentioning the 2012 building sale on Boonville Avenue to the city of Springfield — it can. He also emphasized other cost-cutting measures the county has undertaken.

“If we can unbolt it, throw it overboard or sell it, we have,” he said.